Despite a furious fourth-quarter rally, Utah Tech women's basketball opened its season long five-game homestand on the wrong side of a 78-69 WAC decision to California Baptist on Wednesday night inside the Burns Arena.
 
The Blazers saw their three-game win streak halted and fell to 5-3 overall, 1-1 in WAC play, while the Lancers improved to 7-0, 2-0 in conference action.  

How it happened 
Utah Tech shook off a slow start with a 14-0 first quarter run, turning an early 5-2 deficit into a commanding 16-5 lead after an Alyson Deaver bucket with 3:15 to play in the frame.
 
The Trailblazer defense forced a pair of Lancer turnovers to kick-start the rally, which began with a Maggie McCord 3-pointer after a UT steal. Then on CBU's ensuing possession, Macie Warren jumped in front of a perimeter pass and sprinted the other way for a lay-in and free throw. 
 
Breaunna Gillen then got into the act with a three-ball and a conventional three-point play of her own ahead of Deaver's basket as the Blazers opened up a double-digit advantage. 
 
CBU clapped back with consecutive 3-pointers to close the quarter, and after two Filipa Barros free throws, the Lancers closed to within three at 16-13 with a minute gone in the second.
 
Gillen finally stopped the CBU run a leaner in the paint, and the two sides traded scores before a Chloe Webb perimeter jumper put the Lancers back on top at 27-26 with just over four minutes to play until halftime.
 
Maddie Warren answered with a 3-pointer of her own, and later fed Deaver for a baseline drive and bucket that pushed UT's lead four points at 31-27.
 
However the Lancers, who connected on six 3-pointers in the period, hit two more treys and closed the half with 12-unanswered points to take a 39-31 lead into the locker room.
 
CBU made it 14-unanswered points with two free throws to begin the second half. Utah Tech managed to trim the deficit to five on several occasions, but the Lancers closed the third quarter with a 13-5 spurt to extend to a 62-49 advantage heading into the fourth.
 
Utah Tech opened the final 10 minutes with nine-straight points as part of a 16-5 run to close to within two at 67-65 with 5:07 to play.
 
Macie Warren, who scored 12 of her game-high 26 points in the fourth, drained two big 3-pointers as she accounted for 10 of the Blazers' 16 points in the rally.
 
Unfortunately Utah Tech could only muster four more points the rest of the way as the Lancers scored 11 of the game's final 15 points to escape with the conference win and their perfect record intact. 
 
Numbers to know
Macie Warren's 26 points were a season high and three points shy of her career high of 29 points, which she tallied nearly one-year-ago-to-the-day in a road win at Air Force (12/10/22).
 
Macie Warren posted season highs in both field goals (10) and 3-pointers (5 - career high) made as she connected on 10-of-17 from the floor, 5-of-11 from beyond the arc.
 
Gillen (1,217 pts), who finished with 16 points, became Utah Tech's career scoring leader on a straight away 3-pointer with 6:13 remaining in the third quarter.
 
Gillen went 5-of-11 from the floor and collected a game-high six assists and seven rebounds. 

Maddie Warren wound up with 10 points along with six boards and three assists, and Deaver finished with career-highs of eight points and eight rebounds. 
 
Utah Tech shot 41.0 percent from the floor (25-of-61), though the Blazers were just 12-of-38 (.316) from the perimeter. 
 
Webb led three Lancers in double figures with 22 points. CBU went 29-of-75 (.387) from the floor, 11-of-36 (.306) from 3-point country, and outrebounded Utah Tech 48-40, including a 15-4 edge on the offensive glass. 

Utah Tech continues its homestand this Saturday afternoon when the Trailblazers host in-state rival Weber State. Tip-off inside the Burns Arena is slated for 2 p.m. (MST).